The 8th day of Gigmas. It’s been 10 shows in 9 nights and it’s the final show for the year.

It’s the end of a long week but one that was so enjoyable and brought back memories of the good old days photographing for Rave when there would be times of the year when doing this many shows in a short period would happen a few times each year. Like this last week, it was usually around the Golden Plains/Meredith festivals or other big events happening down south, when Brisbane actually gets an abundance of sideshows compared to those times when there’s a festival with a few hours drive, in a different state, in a different timezone, and Brisbane gets nothing. I miss going to shows and photographing at this intensity but it’s all so much harder these days, especially when I continually struggle to find anyone to double up and review the show. As much as I love photographing shows, I do think it works best when there’s also someone to write some words. People often say I should do both but I’m not a good reviewer and anything but an on time and speedy writer, hence managing to have a whole year’s worth of posts to write for all the shows I went to in 2015 by the time I started to try to put some words together.

It’s quiet early on. A few people are in for Tempura Nights, mostly Brisbane band people, and then it’s pretty much Tempura Nights making up the tiny number of people stood watching Rolling Blackouts. It makes me wonder if we are in for a repeat of last night’s Mercury Rev show but there’s a last minute rush and the room really fills out by the time Bully play. There’s a lot more people here than for Thurston Moore on Monday night and obviously a lot more people here than were at Mercury Rev yesterday. I think it’s a show in the $35 range, so it’s obviously cheaper than both of those other shows, although when you take into account there was a 2-4-1 offer for Mercury Rev, last night was actually a cheaper night out.

I liked this Bully album, nothing new of course but a good voice and some good hooks happening but they don’t play for very long, it can’t have gone on for much more than 30 minutes, maybe 40 minutes tops, so you don’t get a lot for your money.

Coming to the end of this week and a bit, it’s hard to know just who was the standout, there was plenty to choose from the headline acts. Somewhere between Mercury Rev, Shellac and Thurston Moore, plus King Gizzard’s support slot, there’s a winner for Best Band of Gigmas 2016 but it’s too close to call.